Jonathan Dunlop - Letters to his wife 1806, 1807, 1808

[JosiahS]

Hello there

I have recently come into possession of some letters dating from the early 1800s which belonged to my late cousin   They do not belong to my branch coming from his father's side rather than his mother's.

I have transcribed them and the text is below - they show a fascinating section of Jonathan's life after being press-ganged into the navy until his return home.  The child born to his wife in his absence was a girl, Margaret as he would find out in the reply to the last one.  He did recover - he and his wife Elizabeth had children through to 1824.

The letters came through the line Jonathan/Elizabeth Dunlop - Mary Dunlop - Mary Race - Albert Hall Thompson. If anyone would like a scan of the letters please let me know

I have corrected spelling and added punctuation which was entirely lacking.

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All three letters are addressed to Jonathan Dunlop, The Old Post Entry, Gateshead near Newcastle on Tyne, Northumberland

Letter One
Page 1
September 27 1806 HMS Argo, Gorée on the coast Guinea, Africa. [This is off Dakar in Senegal and is where the slaves were traded through]
My dear wife, this comes with my kind love to you, hoping these few lines will find you and all friends in good health as these leave me at present, thanks be to good for it and I have taken the opportunity to let you know that we have come here to relieve the Erb sloop of war, and that she has been stationed here twelve months on the coast where there is nothing else but slaves. I take myself to be as great a one as any, as I have not known Sunday from Saturday ever since I was pressed. My dear I hope you will keep yourself as easy as you can for I trust in God that it will not be long before I get home. My dear this place is very, very sickly: the vessel we have relieved has not above 10 hands left on board of her out of 120 but thanks be to God I have my health very well but very unsatisfied to think that I am so far a distance from one I have such a regard for.  My dear there is one Anthony Headly that lives in Gateshead belongs to the sloop of war that had his wife along with him and she died at Senegal the day before that the letter was wrote. The water is very bad that the people is very sickly, we have not had any of the country water yet so I do not know how we shall come on.
Page 2
My dear if I could only have the satisfaction of a letter from you to know how you are of in the world it would do me more good than if anyone gave me 20 pounds.  My dear we have a good station for prizes the vessel which has been here has sent home above 15 tean (?) this twelve month we have taken one ourselves was valued at 3,000 pounds and we ran her down 6 hours after and she sunk and drowned 4 hands belonging to our ship.
My dear we are going from here to on the coast of Senegal, and from there Dowey on the Gold Coast to look out for three Spanish galleons that the captain has got information of.  My dear if I had time to write I would write all day but we’re just going to get under way and I do not know when I shall have the opportunity to send a note so you must keep yourself as easy as possible for I do not know whether there will be another opportunity this 6 months but you may depend a letter at every opportunity.  I hope that you have got my monthly note as it is all I can do for you in the world and if I had any more in my hour (?) you should have it my dear. I hope that you will not let anybody see this letter for I think you will scarce be able to read it.  My dear you wrote in your last letter that you expected that I would be at home before that you got your Bead [I think this refers to her lying-in] but I have no hope of that you may get it well over and God bless you my dear and keep you from the hands of your enemy.
Page 3
So I conclude and ever remain your dutiful husband till death Jonathan Dunlop.  Ed. Ward desires to be remembered to his wife family.
My dear there are four ships loaded with slaves laying at Gorée and has not got one man alive belonging to her captain and everybody is dead. My dear I have been once on the short fishing but it’s impossible away for there is nothing but black people running about stark naked as ever they were born we were obliged to have a party of musicians and soldiers from the ship to keep them from us.

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Others to follow

Cheers

Ashley

[JosiahS]

Continued from above:

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Letter Two
Page 1
HMS Argo September 15 1807 Goree coast of Africa
My dear wife, this comes with my kind love to you hoping that these few lines will find you in good health as these leave me at present thanks be to God for it and I have taken the opportunity to let you know that my mess-mate George Brown has had a letter from his father and it mentioned that you were well and in the country which I was very glad to hear. My dear there is nothing in the world that could give me more pleasure than to hear of being well but I am very sorry that I had not a letter from yourself to inform me the particulars of your uncomfortable situation but I blame myself entirely.  First I believe that I told you that it would be of new use to write for be here to get which I did not expect my dear you I hope that you will not neglect to write for Gorée for we expect to have a ship to relieve us any day but I am afraid that we shall have to go to the West Indies before we come to England except it come a peace which is daily expected.
Page 2
My dear I have been very uneasy about you to think the situation that what I left you in and never had the satisfaction to have a scribe of a pen from you ever since I left Portsmouth.  My dear if comes peace first please God to send me safe home I hope that this will be a caution to me to take more care of myself and a little more care of what I work for.
My dear I should like to know above anything in the world when you got your bead and whether it has please Almighty God to send a boy or girl I hope you had better luck than you had with the other.  My dear I have little more to say at present.  We have been on a cruise of the Grand Canaries and has taken and destroyed 6 Spanish vessels and I took possession of 1 fort and took all of the ammunition out of it set the stone houses all on fire and destroyed the whole place.
My dear the first man that ever I have seen since I left England that I knowed was William Fothergill the Master of the Cambo he said he certainly had seen me and I told him that I believed he had and when I told him who I had married he offered me any assistance that I wanted but refused all
Page 3
My dear I must close as I have no more paper or else I would not send you such a one as this.
I conclude and remain your ever dutiful husband till death, Jonathan Dunlop
Remember me to my father and mother, brothers, sisters and all enquiring friends.

Letter Three
Page 1
Haslar Hospital near Portsmouth August 21 1808
My dear wife this comes with my kind love hoping these few lines will find you and the child in good health as these leave me at present thank God for it all but more sore has not healed yet and I take the opportunity to let you know that I was sent from His Majesty’s Ship Argo to Port Royal at Hospital to get my knee cured but instead of getting cured I got worse for I got the yellow fever and my knee got worse or I should be in England 2 months ago I was invalided to come home in the Arratusa frigate in the May fleet but was so bad in the fever that I could not be moved.  I have likewise to inform you that I came from Jamaica in His Majesty’s ship Veteran Admiral Sir Richard Dacker to Portsmouth and was sent to the Haslar Hospital on the 20 of August and expect to stay here till I get cured of my sore I cannot give you any information how long it will be getting well but I hope that it will not be long for it to mend as it is going very well at the moment.
Page 2
My dear I have to inform you that as soon as I am cured of my sore that I am sure of my discharge and like 18 pounds and 5 shillings per year for I never will be as strong as it has been but I hope it will be no settlement for hinder me from working for my bread.  I have mended very fast within these 2 months when I left Jamaica is was that weak that I was forced to be carried down to boat by 2 men.  Now thanks be to God I can walk a little with a pair of crutches.  My dear I am uneasy for fear that your monthly money will be stopped for my wages will be stopped when I have been one month in the hospital but I hope I will be invalided and sent home in the course of a little time if my leg thrives as well as it has done in the last 2 months I hope to be in Newcastle before Christmas.  My dear I have been since the 2nd day of November and never have been able to point of my left leg to the ground but I think in the course of a very short time I shall be able to walk.
Page 3
Edward Ward was very well when I left the ship and desires to me remembered to his wife and family the ship sailed from Jamaica for a cruise off Havana. My dear I hope you will keep yourself easy about me as possible till you hear from me again which will be as soon as ever it is possible.  Write to me at Haslar Hospital Ward No. 35 with all the care and haste which is possible for I am very uneasy to hear from home and let me every particular since that I left home.  I must conclude for the postman is just going away.  Remember me to my mother, brothers and sisters not forgetting your own father and mother and all enquiring friends and I conclude and ever remain your dutiful husband till death.  This 2 years past the 17th of August since I had a letter from home.
Jonathan Dunlop.

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That's it

Ashley

[River Tyne Lass]

Wow!  All I can say is how lucky you are Josiah to have something like this in your possession.  Thank you for sharing these fascinating letters.

I don't know for certain, but I am just wondering if Tyne and Wear Archives might be interested in having a scan of these.  Have you thought about contacting them about this?  I think it would be good for something like to be shared with future descendants/researchers in the long term at an archives.

Would it be possible to put up a photo on here of part of the letters?  This would be very interesting to see part of the original if you can do this.

[JosiahS]

Hi there

Yes they are a very rare resource and I just wish it was someone I am descended from!

I do plan to send scans to the T&W Archives and also to the Naval College at Greenwich - in due course one of them will also get the originals as after me there is no-one to be interested.

I'll see if I can get them scanned today or tomorrow and will post them later.

All the best

[River Tyne Lass]

I agree, a very rare resource.  I wish Jonathon was one of my ancestors.  Any descendants coming across this will no doubt highly appreciate such a treasure.

Thank you for sharing and taking steps to see that this treasure will be preserved for future generations.